The Katy Independent School District’s Board of Trustees held a special board meeting on Tuesday, July 16 at 11 a.m. at the Martha Lopez Aki ECI Project Tyke Center, 6301 S. Stadium Lane in Katy to discuss and consider action on a one-time lump sum payment for classroom teachers. Board President Victor Perez has said in prior board meetings that the lump sum payment is part of the district’s plan to retain classroom teachers.

But trustees differed on the objectives of the plan, with Vice President Amy Thieme and Secretary Mary Ellen Cuzela seeing it as a tool for teacher recruitment and retention, while trustee Lance Redmon viewed it as a retention-only tool. Cuzela added that she wanted to give a “gift of appreciation” to the district’s classroom teachers.

After almost three hours of spirited discussion, the board voted 5-2 to approve a plan that would reward classroom teachers at “benchmark years of service” at five, ten, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years or service, including service outside Katy ISD. The plan, which includes classroom teachers only as defined by Texas Education Agency rules, would start with $250.00 at five years of service, increasing by $250.00 at each “benchmark” tier until the “25 years of service” tier when payouts increase.

Perez said that the plan would cost the district about $855,000.00 in its first year of implementation and would issue payouts to about 1154 of the district’s approximately 7,000 classroom teachers. There is already $775,000.00 allocated in the upcoming budget for a lump sum payout, he said.

Trustees Perez, Thieme, Cuzela, Morgan Calhoun and Lance Redmon voted in favor of the plan. Trustees Rebecca Fox and Dawn Champagne voted against the plan, saying that more information as well as more public input was needed.

The next board meeting, which is a work-study meeting, is scheduled for July 22 at 5 p.m. at the Board Room in the Education Support Complex at 6301 S. Stadium Lane in Katy.